Who Can Kill a Child?

DirkH4.0

When a film starts with real footage from various wars in which we see children suffering and dying, you know it's not going to be an 'easy' watch. And it isn't, not by a long shot.What makes it stand out is not gore or easy scares, it's atmosphere. It evokes a feeling of 'wrongness', caused by the scariest antagonists possible, children. These kids do the most horrible things and therein lies the strength of this film. It's the disconnect between the rational expectations you have when you see a child and the sadistic things they eventually do. This slow realisation is acted out really well by the two leads. Even though I expected it, the inevitable conclusion still shocked me. There is a lot to admire in this film, it has something to say, the acting is very good, but what I liked most is that it doesn't try to give any easy explanations.

David Whitman4.0

A couple of English tourists rent a boat and make their way out to the secluded Spanish island of Almanzora. Upon arrival, they find all the town adults have been murdered. Smiling children play and watch them silently. This is an extremely suspenseful horror film from director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador. He delivers a film packed with tension and dreadful atmosphere. This is a very unsettling piece of work. It’s never explained what mysterious force has possessed the children and the story is all the more powerful for it. These children, the way they look so happy and kill as if it’s mere play, is spooky as hell. A modern American film would definitely take up a “fuck them kids” attitude and go on a spree, but this film plays to the horror of the situation. Decisions are not made easily. It’s obvious to the main characters that the island adults have been slaughtered because they were unable to bring themselves to fight back. I have a huge problem with the opening credits. It’s a mondo style ‘documentary’ with creepy lullaby-like children singing in the background and a narrator. For eight minutes we are hit with images of war and dead children. Bulldozed Holocaust victims. Vietnamese children being burned. Director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador somehow thinks he is educating us to just how horrible humanity can be. The effect is that you are rightfully unsettled as you enter into this film. But, it’s at the price of exploiting these victims. It’s so unnecessary and pointless. If you skip this opening credits sequence, you won’t miss one damn thing. If you’re seeking something a little darker and on the grim side for Halloween, this might be your film. Highly recommended.I found it for free on the Internet Archive here:Who Can Kill a Child

Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine3.0

Nice little film about an English couple that has to fight their way out of an entire village of evil kids who enjoy beating the crap out of adults.When it comes to the film's positives, Serrador does a fantastic job behind the camera, especially with the way he gradually increases the tension. While some scenes are shot and acted in a way that comes off as funny rather than scary (the church scene comes to mind), the director manages to create this great level of tension, assisted by minimalistic music by Waldo de los Rios, once everything hits the ceiling and the kids go from passive to aggressive. It could have been more effective if the film didn't rely on characters making bad decisions. The moral dilemma, as the title suggests, of whether or not to kill a child is a compelling one, and the characters raise some intriguing points about the possibility that the possessed children are unaware of their actions. But then, if I'm surrounded by 200 murderous youngsters, most of whom are doomed and would most likely go off and continue their murdering spree, sitting there and doing nothing would be worse. Wouldn't it? Does the loss of 200 lives outweigh the loss of millions, or even billions? As you can see, it's a film that leaves you pondering. Now I'm wondering if they were making stupid or difficult decisions. Because of this, I'd compare it to The White Ribbon rather than Village of the Damned, though it has a little bit of both.All in all, there's enough tension and some great moral questions to make this a worthwhile watch, despite the fact that it meanders a lot, the performances aren't great, and I don't see how the mondo imagery at the beginning has anything to do with the movie (at least they are suggesting the kids are victims of war or something).Also, for some reason I had this logged in and thought I had reviewed it yet there was no review, so I thought it was taken down.TODAY SCHEDULEThe Clan of the Cave BearTea and SympathyCan you kill a child?Parenthood